Piggy feed

A project funded by the European development organisation Eureka
has helped scientists to produce a fortifying feed for piglets
without the use of antibiotics.

A project funded by the European development organisation Eureka
has helped scientists to produce a fortifying feed for piglets
without the use of antibiotics.

The use of antibiotics in animal feeds may soon be banned in
theEuropean Union. Despite positive effects on pig health and
growth, there aregrowing concerns about bacterial resistance to
antibiotics. This includesthe risk of cross-resistance, with
bacteria developing resistance toantibiotics used in human
medicine.

In response, the Eureka project Antibiotics In Feed hasdeveloped
what it claims is safe and healthy piglet feeds which are free from
antibiotics.Crucially, the new feeds can be introduced into
today'sfeed manufacturing practice.

"When leaving out antibiotics there is a proven risk of
diminished health,such as more diarrhoea and losses of piglets so
it was important to developalternatives to antibiotics that can
minimise these problems,"​ explained DrAnnemarie Dirkzwager of
Dutch lead partner Institute of Animal Nutrition DeSchothorst.

The partners worked both separately and together, testing a
whole range ofproducts with different mechanisms. They evaluated
dietary additions anddifferent feed compositions in order to better
understand the processestaking place in the piglet's gut after
weaning.

In vitro​ testing was used to explain the workings of the
piglet in vivo​ experiments at cell level, by testing the
effects of different feedadditives in a CaCo-2 system representing
a human cancer colon cell line.This behaves like piglet enterocytes
during their growth and development.The tests showed that some
organic acids had a positive effect on growth andimproved gut
condition.

The major problem that the partners had to tackle in the in
vivo​ experimentswas to ensure that the piglet test results were
comparable and consistent.

"Each partner had different facilities to do experiments with
piglets. Also,the handling of the piglets was different, for
example the age they wereweaned and whether the piglets were kept
outdoors or indoors,"​ said Dirkzwager.

Dirkzwager found the Eureka project to be "a good and safe
way to start upco-operation with less known partners. Once you have
worked together in aproject you know the reliability of the partner
and the kind of results heobtains. Then it is easier to start
further projects."​

The project's experiments developed methods to strengthen
processes in thegut and overcome negative effects caused by the
lack of antibiotics. Thesealternative additives and standards for
maximum or minimum levels of rawmaterials and nutrients are now
being used by feed manufacturers, including theproject partners, to
create safe piglet feeds without antibiotics. They havealso been
adopted by farmers.

Eureka​ is a European network for
market-oriented R&D which aims to strengthen European
competitiveness, promote innovation in market-oriented
collaborative projects, involving industry, research institutes and
universities across Europe to develop innovative products,
processes and services.